Amazon To Announce Kindle For The Web

Amazon is planning to demonstrate a new web-based version of its Kindle e-reader platform on Tuesday, one day after rival Google launched its own venture into the ebook market.

According to Computer World, an Amazon spokesperson said in an e-mail that the new Kindle for the Web will allow users to read ebooks straight from their browser and let websites offer a Kindle ebook store. Amazon gave no further details about the service.

The move is the next logical step for Amazon, which is a huge player in the ebook market, be it Kindle e-reader or the Kindle ebook store.

Google recently announced the launch of its own ebook platform, which would allow users to download ebooks for a variety of devices, including its collection of Android smartphones and tablets.

Allen Weiner, an analyst at research firm Gartner, told Computer World: “If Amazon is serious about the device space, they are going to have to open up devices ... whether that is based on Windows or Android or something else.”